eu customs competency framework - role descriptions ......eu customs competency framework - role...

January 2014

EU Customs Competency Framework - Role Descriptions - Enforcement

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Definition Functional Domain “Enforcement”:

Enforcement refers to all activities that are required of Customs professionals to enforce Customs

legislation in the event of any confirmed fraudulent or criminal activities. This includes the collection of

Customs duties by all means possible under the laws of the Member State concerned.

1) Enforcement Activities: These will be performed in the event of any confirmed fraudulent or

criminal activities. Based upon the information gathered during the investigation phase, actions

will be taken such as confiscation, charging penalties, correction of declarations etc.

2) Special Cases: Specific cases may require specialist legal input that can lead to court cases.

These may include settlement of offenses and disputes and debt recovery. Additionally, they may

also require international actions within the EU or in 3rd countries, or contact with international

organisations such as OLAF, RILO or SELEC.

Roles covered within the “Enforcement” functional domain:

Management Roles:

o Senior Manager

o Middle Manager

o Line Manager

Expert Roles:

o Senior Expert

o Expert

Operational Roles:

o Team Lead

o Customs Officer

o Customs Officer Trainee

This means that the role of Strategic Manager was excluded from this functional domain:

Strategic Manager: The Strategic Management level will always be a cross-functional one. This

means that the role of Strategic Manager will be covered in a separate document. The idea is that

the strategy is set at a national level and takes the available resources i.e. people, materials, and

budget into account. This strategy will then be put into practice by the Administration’s

management team (Senior Management, Middle Management and Line Management), who will

translate it to a more functional level (“What does this mean for me/my department?”).


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Role Title

Senior Manager in the Enforcement Department

Level Functional Domain

Senior Manager Enforcement

Role Description

A person holding a senior management role typically leads a part of the organisation in line with the policies and strategies as set out and approved of by the strategic management. This role

requires him or her to focus on guaranteeing the overall coordination, cooperation and performance of his or her part of the organisation. Compared to middle management, there is relatively

less focus on operational planning, coordination and team management. There is relatively more focus on maintaining a dashboard of the performance of the different sections of the part of

the organisation he or she is managing. He or she is also responsible for adjusting/refining actions to improve performance, where needed.

He or she, and the team(s) under his or her management will typically be involved in:

1) Enforcement Activities: These will be performed in the event of any confirmed fraudulent or criminal activities. Based upon the information gathered during the investigation phase,

actions will be taken such as confiscation, charging penalties, correction of declarations etc.

2) Special Cases: Specific cases may require specialist legal input that can lead to court cases. These may include settlement of offenses and disputes and debt recovery. Additionally,

they may also require international actions within the EU or in 3rd countries, or contact with international organisations such as OLAF, RILO or SELEC.

The main responsibilities of a Senior Manager within an Enforcement Department are focused on guaranteeing the overall coordination, cooperation and performance of his or her

department based on the Customs Core Values which are Strong Ethics and High Integrity, Public Service Commitment, Customer & Service Orientation, Continual Learning & Professional

Development, Operational Excellence, Harmonised EU Attitude & Approach and European Safety and Security Focus. He/she will focus on these core values by performing the following tasks:

1. Maximises compliance by managing the enforcement activities in line with overall Enforcement Approach.

2. Ensures and follows up periodically on overall performance and tracks progress to meet strategic objectives.

3. Reports performance and progress to his or her manager, who will usually be at the strategic management level.

4. Translates the strategic guidelines and objectives received from the strategic management, to more tactical guidelines and objectives specific for his or her department or Customs region.

He or she is responsible to clearly communicate these measures and objectives to his or her Middle Manager(s) and ensures effective two-way communication with lower levels in order to

capture feedback.

5. Ensures on-going professional development, both on a personal level and for his or her team(s).

6. Ensures that team members operate & communicate with appropriate political awareness & sensitivity.

7. Captures reflections and suggestions for potential process improvements to increase operational efficiency, evaluates the suggestions and implements the best process improvements.

8. Ensures effective cooperation and communication with other departments and proactively manages the key stakeholders of an Enforcement Department e.g. Trade, Investigation

Department, Legal Department etc.


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9. Might be called upon to assist in the development of national strategies where relevant to his or her department.

10. Builds a network with other Customs Managers and employees within the European Union and assists in and participates to international project groups.

Professional Competencies Proficiency

Level Operational Competencies

Proficiency

Level Management Competencies

Proficiency

Level

Dealing with Operational Risk 2 Customs Business Understanding 3 Act as a Role Model 4

Drive for Results 4 Customs Legislation 2 Strategic Agility 3

Teamwork 3 Customs Procedures 2 Visionary Leadership 3

Professional Networking 3 Tariff and Classification 1 Innovation 2

Coaching & Mentoring 3 Enforcement 2 Entrepreneurship 2

Knowledge/experience sharing 3 Debt and Guarantee Management 1 Negotiating 3

Coping with Stress 4 Customs Supervision 1 People Management 3

Handling Conflict 2 Supply Chain Operations 1 Conflict Management 3

Adaptability to Change 2 Prohibitions and Restrictions 1 Change Management 4

Decision Making 4 Trade Facilitation 4 Financial Management 2

Analytical Thinking 3 Communication Management 2

Interpersonal Relations 3 Policy Design 1

Time Management 3 Political Awareness 3

Priority Setting 4 Customs Trends 3

Processing Information 2 Strategic Supply Chain Management 2

Written Communication 4 Managerial Courage 4

Oral Communication 4 Process Management 2

Reporting 3

Creativity 2

Technological Ability 2

Problem Solving 3


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Role Title

Middle Manager in the Enforcement Department


Middle Manager Enforcement

Role Description

A person holding a middle management role typically leads and steers multiple teams. Often, but not necessarily, there is an intermediate management layer that manages each separate team

(Line Management). In some cases it could be that a person in a Middle Management role manages a single team. A Middle Manager is the link between the Senior Management and the Line

Management.



actions will be taken such as, confiscation, charging penalties, correction of declarations etc.

2) Special Cases: Specific cases may require specialist legal input that can lead to court cases. These may include settlement of offenses and disputes and debt recovery. Additionally they

may also require international actions within the EU or in 3rd countries, or contact with international organisations such as OLAF, RILO or SELEC.

The main responsibilities of a Middle Manager within an Enforcement Department are focused on guaranteeing the overall operational coordination of his or her department and ensuring

a high level follow up of the operational performance by acting as the link between the Strategic/Senior Management and the Line Management with his/her operational teams.

He/she will deliver on their responsibilities based on the Customs Core Values which are Strong Ethics and High Integrity, Public Service Commitment, Customer & Service Orientation,

Continual Learning & Professional Development, Operational Excellence, Harmonised EU Attitude & Approach and European Safety and Security Focus. A Middle Manager will focus on these

core values by performing the following tasks:

1. Maximises compliance by managing the enforcement activities in line with overall Enforcement Approach.

2. Ensures and follows up periodically on overall performance, tracks progress to meet strategic objectives.

3. Reports performance and progress to his or her manager (e.g. the Regional Director and National Office).

4. Translates the tactical guidelines and objectives received from his/her Senior Manager into more tangible operational objectives and measures. He or she is responsible for clearly

communicating these measures and objectives to his/her Line Manager(s) leading the operational team(s) and ensuring effective two-way communication with lower levels to capture their

feedback.

5. Ensures the development of strong technical knowledge both on a personal level and for his/her teams.

6. Ensures that team members operate & communicate with appropriate political awareness & sensitivity.


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7. Captures reflections and suggestions for potential process improvements to increase operational efficiency, evaluates the suggestions and implements the best process improvements.

8. Ensures effective cooperation and communication with other departments and proactively manages the key stakeholders of an Enforcement Department e.g. Trade, Investigation

Department, Legal Department etc.

9. Builds a network with other Customs Managers and employees within the European Union and participates to international project groups.



Proficiency


Proficiency

Level


Drive for Results 4 Customs Legislation 3 Strategic Agility 2

Teamwork 3 Customs Procedures 2 Visionary Leadership 2

Professional Networking 2 Tariff and Classification 2 Entrepreneurship 2

Coaching & Mentoring 2 Enforcement 2 Negotiating 3

Knowledge/experience sharing 3 Debt and Guarantee Management 2 People Management 3

Coping with Stress 3 Customs Supervision 2 Conflict Management 3

Handling Conflict 2 Supply Chain Operations 2 Change Management 3

Adaptability to Change 2 Prohibitions and Restrictions 2 Financial Management 1

Decision Making 4 Trade Facilitation 2 Communication Management 2

Analytical Thinking 3 Political Awareness 2

Interpersonal Relations 3 Customs Trends 2

Time Management 3 Strategic Supply Chain Management 1

Priority Setting 4 Managerial Courage 3

Processing Information 2 Process Management 2

Written Communication 3

Oral Communication 3

Reporting 3

Creativity 2


Problem Solving 2


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Role Title

Line Manager in the Enforcement Department


Line Manager Enforcement

Role Description

A person holding a line management role typically leads (an) operational team(s). The team members of his or her team do not occupy an official management role themselves. A Line Manager

is the link between the Middle Management and the Customs Officers of his/her Team(s).




2) Special Cases: Specific cases may require specialist legal input that can lead to court cases. These may include settlement of offenses and disputes and debt recovery. Additionally,


The main responsibilities of a Line Manager within an Enforcement Department are focused on guaranteeing a good cooperation between the operational teams, ensuring the realisation

of the operational objectives and closely following up the performance of his operational team(s). He/she will deliver on their responsibilities based on the Customs Core Values which

are Strong Ethics and High Integrity, Public Service Commitment, Customer & Service Orientation, Continual Learning & Professional Development, Operational Excellence, Harmonised EU

Attitude & Approach and European Safety and Security Focus. A Line Manager will focus on these core values by performing the following tasks:

1. Ensures the realisation of the operational objectives based on the guidelines received from his/her Middle Manager. He/she will also capture feedback of his/her operational team(s) and

share this feedback with his/her upper management, in particular, with the Middle Management.

2. Directly manages a team of operational people executing Enforcement activities.

3. Maximises his or her team’s performance by organising & dividing the work.

4. Supports and develops team members and ensures that they continue to develop strong technical knowledge.

5. Provides flexibility and adequate conditions to team members to maximise efficiency.

6. Ensures that team members operate and communicate with appropriate political awareness & sensitivity.

7. Verifies the quantity and quality of the work products delivered by his or her team.

8. Reports performance and progress related to operational objectives to his or her manager.

9. Captures reflections and suggestions for potential process improvements to increase operational efficiency and evaluates the suggestions.

10. Ensures effective cooperation with other departments within the Customs Administration e.g. Investigation Department and outside the Administration e.g. Police.

11. Offers first line support regarding special cases for his or her team members.


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12. Builds a network with other Customs Managers and employees within the European Union.



Proficiency


Proficiency

Level


Drive for Results 4 Customs Legislation 3 Entrepreneurship 2

Teamwork 3 Customs Procedures 3 People Management 2

Professional Networking 1 Tariff and Classification 2 Conflict Management 3

Knowledge/experience sharing 2 Enforcement 3 Change Management 2

Coping with Stress 2 Debt and Guarantee Management 2 Communication Management 2

Handling Conflict 2 Customs Supervision 2 Customs Trends 1

Adaptability to Change 2 Supply Chain Operations 3 Managerial Courage 2

Decision Making 3 Prohibitions and Restrictions 2 Process Management 2

Analytical Thinking 3 Trade Facilitation 2 Visionary leadership 1

Interpersonal Relations 3 Negotiating 1

Time Management 2 Political Awareness 2

Priority Setting 2

Processing Information 2



Reporting 2

Creativity 1


Problem Solving 2


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Role Title

Senior Expert in the Enforcement Department


Senior Expert Enforcement

Role Description

A person holding a Senior Expert role has typically specialised extensively in a certain domain. He or she is required to act as a consultant on a daily basis for questions of other Customs

employees and for complex enquiries and cases related to his or her specific expertise. Senior Experts have a relatively higher level of expertise compared to that of more junior Experts.

He or she will typically be involved in:



2) Special Cases: Specific cases may require specialist legal input that can result in court cases including settlement of offenses and disputes and debt recovery. Additionally, they may

also require international actions within the EU or in 3rd countries, or contact with international organisations such as OLAF, RILO or SELEC.

The main responsibilities of a Senior Expert in Enforcement are focused on developing extensive expert knowledge about a specific Enforcement activity/approach and guaranteeing an

efficient Enforcement department by acting as a consultant in solving complex cases based on his/her knowledge and experience. He/she will deliver on their responsibilities based on

the Customs Core Values which are Strong Ethics and High Integrity, Public Service Commitment, Customer & Service Orientation, Continual Learning & Professional Development,

Operational Excellence, Harmonised EU Attitude & Approach and European Safety and Security Focus. A Senior Expert will focus on these core values by performing the following tasks:

1. Develops strong and focused technical, expert knowledge on a personal level and on a continuous basis regarding specific activities to enforce Customs legislation e.g. confiscation.

2. Responds to queries related to complex or unclear cases for specific Enforcement activities.

3. Organises own work, thereby maximising own performance accordingly.

4. Builds and maintains very good working relationships and communicates proactively with his/her stakeholders namely Trade, Investigation and Legal Department, Expert team(s), etc.

5. Understands, cooperates and communicates effectively with appropriate political awareness & sensitivity.

6. Delivers high quality work products in a timely manner.

7. Reports status and relevant difficulties or issues to his or her manager in a proactive and timely manner.

8. Communicates suggestions and potential process improvements regarding procedures to enforce Customs Legislation to his or her manager to increase operational efficiency.

9. He or she may be required to assist in policy development when related to his or her specific expertise.

10. Builds a network with other Customs Experts and employees within the European Union; assists in and participates to international project groups.


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11. Helps Experts to build strong technical expert knowledge and provides support in solving complex cases.

12. Ensuring dialogue with relevant national, EU and international authorities and institutions (e.g. Court, Police, etc.).

13. Gives and/or supports training for other Customs employees in their specific domain.



Proficiency


Proficiency

Level

Dealing with Operational Risk 2 Customs Business Understanding 4 Policy Design 4

Drive for Results 2 Customs Legislation 4 Customs Trends of the 21st Century 3

Investigative Ability 2 Customs Procedures 4 Process Management 4

Teamwork 2 Tariff and Classification 4 Political Awareness 3

Professional Networking 4 Enforcement 4

Knowledge/experience sharing 4 Debt and Guarantee Management 4

Coping with Stress 2 Customs Supervision 4

Handling Conflict 2 Supply Chain Operations 3

Decision Making 2 Prohibitions and Restrictions 3

Analytical Thinking 2 Trade Facilitation 3

Interpersonal Relations 2

Problem Solving 2




Data Management 2


Working Virtually 2


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Role Title

Expert in the Enforcement Department


Expert Enforcement

Role Description

A person holding an Expert role is typically specialised in a certain domain. He or she is required to act as a consultant working on a case-by-case basis for enquiries related to his or her

specific expertise. Experts have a relatively lower level of expertise compared to that of Senior Experts.




2) Special Cases: Specific cases may require specialist legal input that can lead to court cases. These may include settlement of offenses and disputes and debt recovery. Additionally


The main responsibilities of an Expert in Enforcement are focused on developing expert knowledge about a specific Enforcement activity/approach and guaranteeing an efficient

Enforcement department by acting as a consultant in solving specific cases based on his/her knowledge. He/she will deliver on their responsibilities based on the Customs Core Values

which are Strong Ethics and High Integrity, Public Service Commitment, Customer & Service Orientation, Continual Learning & Professional Development, Operational Excellence, Harmonised

EU Attitude & Approach and European Safety and Security Focus. An Expert will focus on these core values by performing the following tasks:

1. Develops strong and focused technical, expert knowledge on a personal level and on a continuous basis, specifically in activities to enforce Customs legislation e.g. confiscation.

2. Responds to queries related to complex or unclear cases for specific Enforcement activities.


4. Builds and maintains very good working relationships and communicates proactively with his/her stakeholders namely Trade, Investigation and Legal Department, Expert team(s), etc.

5. Understands, cooperates and communicates effectively with appropriate political awareness & sensitivity.

6. Delivers high quality work products in a timely manner.


8. Communicates suggestions and potential process improvements regarding procedures to enforce Customs Legislation to his or her manager to increase operational efficiency.

9. Builds a strong network and effectively cooperates with other departments whenever required.


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10. Builds a network with other Customs Experts and employees within the European Union; assists in and participates to international project groups.

11. Ensuring dialogue with relevant national, EU and international authorities and institutions (e.g. Court, Police, etc.).



Proficiency


Proficiency

Level

Dealing with Operational Risk 2 Customs Business Understanding 3 Policy Design 4

Drive for Results 2 Customs Legislation 4 Customs Trends of the 21st Century 2

Investigative Ability 2 Customs Procedures 4 Process Management 3

Teamwork 2 Tariff and Classification 3 Political Awareness 3

Professional Networking 3 Enforcement 4

Knowledge/experience sharing 3 Debt and Guarantee Management 3

Coping with Stress 2 Customs Supervision 3

Handling Conflict 2 Supply Chain Operations 3

Decision Making 2 Prohibitions and Restrictions 3

Analytical Thinking 2 Trade Facilitation 2


Problem Solving 2




Data Management 2


Working Virtually 2


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Role Title

Customs Team lead in the Enforcement Department


Customs Team lead Enforcement

Role Description

A Customs Officer - Team Lead is involved in the day-to-day operational Customs activities. He or she has received all required training and has successfully passed all appropriate tests.

Subsequently, he or she is responsible for own work. In addition to his or her day-to-day operational responsibilities, he or she will also manage the rest of the team in absence of the Manager

(e.g. when this Manager is leading multiple teams on different locations).




2) Special Cases: Specific cases may require specialist legal input that can lead to court cases including settlement of offenses and disputes and debt recovery. Additionally, they may

also require international actions within the EU or in 3rd countries, or contact with international organisations such as OLAF, RILO or SELEC.

The main responsibilities of a Customs Officer – Team Lead within a Enforcement team are focused on maximising his/her own performance and supporting his/her Line Management in

order to reach the operational objectives of his/her operational team. He/she will deliver on their responsibilities based on the Customs Core Values which are Strong Ethics and High

Integrity, Public Service Commitment, Customer & Service Orientation, Continual Learning & Professional Development, Operational Excellence, Harmonised EU Attitude & Approach and

European Safety and Security Focus. A Customs Officer – Team Lead will focus on these core values by performing the following tasks:

1. Directly manages a team of operational people in absence of his or her Manager.

2. Organises own work thereby maximising own performance accordingly.

3. Develops strong technical knowledge on a personal level and on a continuous basis regarding Enforcement activities and procedures.

4. Supports other team members and develops trainees to perform their tasks.

5. Operates and communicates effectively and with appropriate political awareness & sensitivity with Trade, other economic operators and private persons.

6. Delivers high quality work products.

7. Builds a network with other Customs Officers within the European Union.


9. Communicates suggestions and potential process improvements regarding enforcement procedures and processes to his or her manager in order to increase operational efficiency.


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10. Effectively cooperates with other departments e.g. Investigation Department, Legal experts, etc. whenever required.



Proficiency


Proficiency

Level

Drive for Results 2 Customs Business Understanding 2 People Management 1

Teamwork 3 Customs Legislation 2 Conflict Management 3

Analytical Thinking 3 Customs Procedures 2 Managerial Courage 2

Interpersonal Relations 2 Tariff and Classification 2 Process Management 1

Processing Information 2 Enforcement 3

Written Communication 2 Debt and Guarantee Management 2

Oral Communication 2 Customs Supervision 2

Technological Ability 2 Supply Chain Operations 2

Dealing with Operational Risk 2

Coping with Stress 2

Handling Conflict 2

Decision Making 2

Reporting 2


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Role Title

Customs Officer in the Enforcement Department


Customs Officer Enforcement

Role Description

A Customs Officer is typically involved in the day-to-day Customs operational activities. He or she is responsible for their own work but also has to work in teams and will therefore have an

additional responsibility of ensuring the success of the team.




2) Special Cases: Specific cases may require specialist legal input that can lead to court cases including settlement of offenses and disputes and debt recovery. Additionally they may also

require international actions within the EU or in 3rd countries, or contact with international organisations such as OLAF, RILO or SELEC.

The main responsibilities of a Customs Officer within an Enforcement team are focused on maximising his/her own performance in order to reach the operational objectives of his/her

operational team. He/she will deliver on their responsibilities based on the Customs Core Values which are Strong Ethics and High Integrity, Public Service Commitment, Customer & Service

Orientation, Continual Learning & Professional Development, Operational Excellence, Harmonised EU Attitude & Approach and European Safety and Security Focus. A Customs Officer will

focus on these core values by performing the following tasks:


2. Develops strong technical knowledge on a personal level and on a continuous basis regarding Enforcement activities and procedures.

3. Supports other team members and develops trainees to perform their tasks.

4. Operates and communicates effectively and with appropriate political awareness & sensitivity with Trade, other economic operators and private persons.

5. Delivers high quality work products.

6. Builds a network with other Customs Officers within the European Union.


8. Communicates suggestions and potential process improvements regarding enforcement procedures and processes to his or her manager in order to increase operational efficiency.

9. Effectively cooperates with other departments e.g. Investigation Department, Legal experts, etc. whenever required.


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Proficiency


Proficiency

Level

Drive for Results 2 Customs Business Understanding 2

Teamwork 2 Customs Legislation 2

Analytical Thinking 3 Customs Procedures 2

Interpersonal Relations 2 Tariff and Classification 2

Processing Information 2 Enforcement 3

Written Communication 2 Debt and Guarantee Management 2

Oral Communication 2 Customs Supervision 2

Technological Ability 2 Supply Chain Operations 2

Dealing with Operational Risk 2

Coping with Stress 2

Handling Conflict 2

Decision Making 2

Reporting 2


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Role Title

Customs Officer Trainee in the Enforcement Department


Customs Officer Trainee Enforcement

Role Description

A Customs Officer Trainee can perform activities under supervision and will typically shadow a Customs Officer. He or she cannot be held responsible for any actions taken.


1) Enforcement Activities: Learn how to perform these activities in the event of any confirmed fraudulent or criminal activities. Based upon the information gathered during the

investigation phase, actions will be taken such as confiscation, charging penalties, correction of declarations etc.

2) Special Cases: Learn how to manage specific cases that may require specialist legal input that can lead to court cases including settlement of offenses and disputes and debt recovery.

Additionally, they may also require international actions within the EU or in 3rd countries, or contact with international organisations such as OLAF, RILO or SELEC.

The main responsibilities of a Customs Officer Trainee within an Enforcement team are focused on absorbing knowledge from his/her Customs Officer colleague and building a network with

other Customs Officers within the European Union. He/she will perform these activities based on the Customs Core Values which are Strong Ethics and High Integrity, Public Service

Commitment, Customer & Service Orientation, Continual Learning & Professional Development, Operational Excellence, Harmonised EU Attitude & Approach and European Safety and Security

Focus.



Proficiency


Proficiency

Level

Drive for Results 1 Customs Business Understanding 1

Teamwork 1 Customs Procedures 1

Analytical Thinking 1






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